Editing Rebecca Front (section)

==Career==
While at Oxford in 1984, Front took part in the revue ''Stop the Weak''. The tour played in Oxford itself, the [[Gate Theatre (London)|Gate Theatre, Notting Hill]], Edinburgh, [[Salisbury]], and [[Romsey]]. In 1985, Front teamed up with [[Sioned Wiliam]]<!-- Only one "l". --> and [[Jon Magnusson (producer)|Jon Magnusson]] to take the show ''The Bobo Girls go BOO'' to Edinburgh. She made a short promotional video on energy conservation with Michael Simkins in the late 1980s.{{cn|date=May 2023}} 

Front achieved a higher profile as a result of her work with [[Lee and Herring|Stewart Lee and Richard Herring]] on the radio shows ''[[Lionel Nimrod's Inexplicable World]]'' and ''[[On the Hour]]'', and the television and radio series ''[[Fist of Fun]]''. She went on to form a close professional association with [[Chris Morris (satirist)|Chris Morris]], [[Armando Iannucci]], [[Doon Mackichan]] and [[Steve Coogan]], who all transferred with Front to ''The Day Today'', the television version of ''On the Hour''. Completing ''The Day Today'' were [[Patrick Marber]], who was part of the 1984 Oxford University revue with Front and [[David Schneider (actor)|David Schneider]], who took part in the 1985 revue. This cast continued to contribute to the [[Alan Partridge]] comedy canon throughout the 1990s.

In recent years{{when|date=May 2023}} Front has also become a fixture on comedy panel shows on British television and radio including ''[[The News Quiz]]'', ''[[Have I Got News for You]]'' and ''[[If I Ruled the World (game show)|If I Ruled The World]]''. She has also had minor roles in ''[[The Smell of Reeves and Mortimer]]'', ''[[Absolute Power (comedy)#TV series|Absolute Power]]'' and ''[[Absolutely Fabulous]]'' and she has also played straight acting roles in television drama, including ''You Can Choose Your Friends'', ''The Rotters' Club'', ''[[Kavanagh QC]]'', ''[[Lewis (TV series)|Lewis]]'' and ''[[Jonathan Creek]]''.

In 2003, she was listed in ''[[The Observer]]'' as one of the 50 funniest acts in British comedy.{{cn|date=May 2023}} From 2006, she has written columns for ''[[The Guardian]]''. In 2007, she guest-starred in the ''[[Doctor Who]]'' [[audio drama]] ''[[The Mind's Eye & Mission of the Viyrans|The Mind's Eye]]''. Between 2006 until 2014, Front had a recurring role as Chief Superintendent Jean Innocent on the detective drama series ''[[Lewis (TV series)|Lewis]]'', the successor to ''[[Inspector Morse (TV series)|Inspector Morse]]'' on [[ITV (TV network)|ITV]].

In 2009 and 2012, respectively, she appeared in the third and fourth series of political satire ''[[The Thick of It]]'', playing Nicola Murray MP, Secretary of State for Citizenship and Social Affairs and in charge of the dysfunctional 'DoSAC', and later, Leader of the Opposition.<ref>Ian Burrell, "[https://www.independent.co.uk/news/media/tv-radio/strictly-no-dancing-on-a-channel-thatrsquos-serious-about-scientists-1674689.html Strictly no dancing on a channel that’s serious about scientists]" in ''[[The Independent]]''. 27-04-09</ref> Front featured in the 2010 BBC comedy series ''[[Grandma's House]]'' playing the part of [[Simon Amstell]]'s mother Tanya,<ref>{{cite news |last1=Renshaw |first1=David |title=Grandma's House – box set review |url=https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2013/sep/12/grandmas-house-box-set-review |access-date=11 February 2020 |work=The Guardian |date=12 September 2013}}</ref> and ''[[Just William (2010 TV series)|Just William]]'', as the mother of [[Just William (book series)|William Brown]] and also starred in the 2011 live-action [[3D film|3D]] family comedy film ''[[Horrid Henry: The Movie]]'' as Henry's headmistress, Miss Oddbod.

In 2012 Front starred as the psychiatrist in the [[Sky Arts]] sketch series ''[[Psychobitches]]'', where Front's character offers therapy to notable women of history and the present day, including [[Anne Boleyn]], [[Mary Queen of Scots]], [[Mary Shelley]], [[Enid Blyton]], [[Eva Braun]], [[Mary Pickford]], [[Edith Piaf]], and [[Anna Nicole Smith]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.comedy.co.uk/guide/tv/psychobitches/|title=Psychobitches|work=comedy.co.uk|access-date=28 February 2015}}</ref> The series aired on the British television channel Sky Arts 1. The first episode of a second series was broadcast on 25 November 2014.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/tvandradioblog/2014/oct/24/psychobitches-series-two-anna-nicole-smith-elizabeth-i-audrey-hepburn-and-more-exclusive-trailer|title=Psychobitches series two: Anna Nicole Smith, Elizabeth I, Audrey Hepburn and more – exclusive trailer|work=the Guardian|date=24 October 2014 |access-date=28 February 2015}}</ref> In 2013, she starred in the new [[Sky Living]] comedy ''[[The Spa (TV series)|The Spa]]'', in the role of Alison Crabbe.<ref name="thespa">{{cite web |url=http://skyliving.sky.com/the-spa/meet-the-cast-of-the-spa-picture-biographies |title=The Spa: Meet The Characters |date=16 January 2013 |access-date= 8 March 2013}}</ref> She plays Cox in ''[[The Wrong Mans]]'',<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/latestnews/2013/wrong-mans-cast.html | title=Cast announced for The Wrong Mans on BBC Two | work=BBC | date=28 January 2013 | access-date=10 October 2013}}</ref> a six-part comedy-thriller for [[BBC Two]]. The premiere was on 24 September 2013. She reprised this role in December 2014 for a special two-parter. She narrated ''[[Fox Wars (documentary)|Fox Wars]]'' which was broadcast on 22 October 2013.

In December 2013, [[Sky Atlantic]] aired a new comedy series called ''Little Cracker''. The second programme in the series was an autobiographical story written by Front and her brother Jeremy. It concerns the time she witnessed the near-drowning of her father in a lake; that incident was closely followed by the death of her grandfather. The proximity of these two experiences caused Front considerable personal anguish. Front was eleven years old at the time and, because of the trauma she suffered, she went through a period of not wanting to attend school.{{cn|date=May 2023}} The programme included a comedic treatment of this time in her life, followed by Front and her brother explaining the background to the story, and how they came to write and dramatise it. In the programme, Front was played by Lucy Hutchinson, and her father was played by the actor [[Richard Lumsden]]. [[Samantha Spiro]] played her mother and Front played her headmistress, Miss Dyson. Front's school friend character, Karen, was played by Imogen Front.{{cn|date=May 2023}}

For their 2013 Christmas season, the [[BBC]] commissioned ''[[Death Comes to Pemberley (TV series)|Death Comes to Pemberley]]'', a three-part television drama based on the novel by [[P. D. James]]. The story returns to the world of [[Jane Austen]]'s ''[[Pride and Prejudice]]'', and involves its characters in a new tale of murder and emotional mayhem. Front played the part of Mrs Bennet. The first episode aired on BBC One at 8.15pm on Boxing Day.

In January 2014, Front appeared in the ''[[Midsomer Murders]]'' episode "Let Us Prey", about a serial killer who uses medieval torture methods to dispatch their victims.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.itv.com/presscentre/ep2week2/midsomer-murders-0|title=Midsomer Murders|work=itv.com|access-date=28 February 2015}}</ref> She appeared in the BBC series ''[[Outnumbered (British TV series)|Outnumbered]]'',<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.radiotimes.com/news/2013-11-06/outnumbered-series-5---whats-new|title=Hugh Dennis, Claire Skinner, Tyger Drew-Honey, Daniel Roche and Ramona Marquez all return for series five of Outnumbered|author=Susanna Lazarus|work=RadioTimes|access-date=28 February 2015}}</ref> playing the headmistress at Karen's school in early 2014. Front portrayed Fiona in the [[BBC Radio 4]] series ''Love in Recovery''. She also starred in the sitcom ''[[Up the Women]]'' as Helen Bute, the antagonist for three episodes in mid-2013 and a six-episode series in 2015. From 2014 to 2019, she narrated the [[Channel 4]] series ''[[The Supervet]]''.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://twitter.com/rebeccafront/status/669612673378738176|title=Rebecca Front on Twitter}}</ref>

In 2017, she co-wrote and appeared in the sitcom ''Shush!'' on [[BBC Radio 4]], a sitcom set in a library.{{cn|date=May 2023}}